Find More Experiences:

Costa Rica – San José to Manuel Antonio

Summary

Itinerary

This fully immersive Costa Rica Tour takes you to some of the country's most wondrous locations, where you'll feast your eyes on some of the most captivating natural sights Central America, actually, the world, has to offer.

San José is where things kick off, and on your adventure through this Central American dream of a place, the locations you'll discover are San José, Dota, Drake, where you'll end in Manuel Antonio. With locals as your guides, your activities along the way include: exploring volcanoes, hiking in dense rainforests, swimming with sea turtles on untouched islands, taking a dip in secluded lagoons, visiting indigenous communities and spending quality time with the locals there - the only limit really is return date.

What's Not Included

Arrive at your hotel (the Parque Del Lago) for your first night in San José. Ready to depart first thing in the morning.

San Jose to San Gerardo, Dota

First stop on your journey will be the Irazú National Park. Home to the still active, Irazú Volcano (don’t worry too much, it’s been donkeys years since its last eruption), at 3400 meters above sea level. This is the highest volcano in Costa Rica. Here you take part in a small hike up to the top to the majestic crater of the volcano, nothing too demanding

Later on, you’ll visit the colonial capital of the country San José, with the opportunity to explore her beautiful Basilica.

You’ll then continue to San Gerardo de Dota, one of Costa Rica´s favourite bird watching sites to see the extraordinary Resplendent Quetzal! This lovely little village huddled up against the roaring Talamanca Mountain Range and nested in the Savegre River Valley, surrounded by oak tropical cloud forest and nearby Sub-Alpine Rain Paramo covered peaks.

Once you reach the cloud forest, there’s the opportunity to take one of it’s many stunning hikes, there’s all different types depending on your experience level. But the highlight has got to be the 2km hike to the secret waterfall.

After you return, you’ll head to your accommodation for the night, the wonderful mountain lodge Trogon Lodge (where you’ll stay for two nights) and rest up for day 2.

(Meals included: Breakfast)

Dota

Rise and shine! Day 3 kicks off with a morning hike in the forest to find one of the most exotic, most beautiful birds in the world, the Resplendent Quetzal.

For the rest of the day you have the opportunity to explore more areas of the Tropical Cloud Forest and visit the local indigenous village of San Gerardo.

This extremely picturesque village is the perfect opportunity to explore and interact with the locals. Scattere throughout are local restaurants and craft shops and markets. Parallel with the road is a pristine river on which you can try your hand at fishing or one of the various hikes from the village, around the mountain.

(Meals included: Breakfast)

Dota to Drake Bay

Today you will explore a plethora of many different ecosystems. As say goodbye to the Cloud Forest of Dota and head down the mountain, closer to sea level. Your next destination will be one of the most exciting experiences of nature in the country, Drake Bay, within the lowlands rainforest. Due to it being on sea level, the lowlands is much more tropical and is very much rainforest. On your journey there, you’ll drive through the Subalpine Paramo, and pass the Mangrove swamps of the local town of Sierpe before getting to the Pacific coastline. En route, you will visit an indigenous community called Rey Curré, known for its famous “Fiesta de los Diablitos” (little devil’s party) held in January commemorating the resistance of the indigenous people against the conqueror Spaniards. Finally, you will reach your hotel the Casa Horizontes, which is where you’ll call home for the the next four nights.

(Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner)

Caño Island

Today you’ll take a boat trip to the wonderful, untouched island of Caño Island. This truly is a gem of the South Pacific of Costa Rica! Not only do the waters surrounding this island contain some of the most abundant and varied marine life in the world, but the island also possesses several pre-Colombian archeological artefacts. Caño Island is believed to have once been a pirate hideout and some go as far as to claim that the island was the inspiration for Robert Stevenson’s Treasure Island. The journey to the island will give you the opportunity to see dolphins, whales, sea turtles, rays and other magnificent marine animals. And you can even snorkel amongst them if you wish!

(Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Corcovado National Park

Day 6 includes visits to the Osa Península and Corcovado National Park. These are considered to be among the most biological intense areas in the world. If you’re a nature aficionado or not at all, your trip to Costa Rica must include Osa in the itinerary. Sirena or San Pedrillo Stations are excellent spots to admire the huge biodiversity of Corcovado, and see animals like the tamandua, the tapir or the peccary.

(Meals Included Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Today you will get the chance to visit one of the local villages and take part in three different local projects, this gives you the chance to spend some quality time with locals that have swapped hunting and traditional farming for tourism and sustainability. First, you’ll visit a family that produces the very rare local producers of heart-of-palm. Heart of plam is a vegetable harvested form the inner core of certain rare palm trees, here the producers they will explain all the process and let you taste of their delicious products.

Second, you visit a local family’s house, who has opened their home to let visitors experience traditional Costa Rican cuisine. Lastly, you’ll visit the hidden Chocuaco Lagoon. Here lies one of the most tranquil places in the country, there’s barley any traces of human’s here. Taking a canoe our with the local guide, you’ll make your way around the lagoon.

(Meals Included Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 8 will start with a boat tour with a local guide through the Sierpe River and its mangrove. You’ll then head to the Central Pacific area of the country. On the way, we will stop at the spherical stones park: perfectly spherical stones that are believed to have once marked an offshore burial ground and ceremonial site for the indigenous Diquis tribe who inhabited the Golfo Dulce area until the arrival of the Spanish.

The tour ends once we reach Manuel Antonio, where you can stay here if you wish, or can be taken to your next destination.